Naked Women in Life Magazine (Dec, 1948)

I’m pretty amazed this got printed. I doubt it would have 10 years later.

GIRLS WADING, with sunlight playing on leaves and water, was posed by Photographer Yvonne Gregory at a private lake in Norfolk, England, and was shown in September in the 39th Annual Exhibition of the London Salon of Photography.

Life got away with this right until the (first) end, actually. As long as there was a “good” excuse – science, social science, serious art – they could ignore the complaints. “Shown at a serious photographic exhibition” would have been an excellent excuse.

Life once ran an article on women’s elastic-topped stockings that seemed to have no purpose but to show pretty girls with their skirts hitched up.

Firebrand38: Heh, the article on Matisse that follows that article in Life (well, after the congressional ethics article – which is a funny juxtaposition itself!) has more “nudity” in it that than the pr0n article…

Humans really need to get over themselves…

Firebrand38 says: August 2, 20103:14 pm

Andrew L. Ayers: The most annoying thing about American society to me is the streak of Puritanism that runs through it. The idea that someone, somewhere is having a good time and that they need to stop it right now.

dergutie says: August 2, 20105:17 pm

I think it was in the very first issue of life in 1935 or 6 that they ran an article on the wonder substance, Celophane, and showed a pic of a cutie wearing it.

Bob says: August 2, 20107:47 pm

I’ve been looking through the Life archive in Google Books. Especially in the 1930’s and 1940’s, they did a lot of “leg art” photography, as well as pics of attractive coeds and actresses in revealing poses. A lot of ads of the time (stockings, corsets, etc.) could be considered risque. It was a different time, and attitudes were different.

Firebrand38: “The most annoying thing about American society to me is the streak of Puritanism that runs through it. The idea that someone, somewhere is having a good time and that they need to stop it right now.”

FB, we may not agree on everything, but I agree with you on that!

Arglebarglefarglegleep says: August 5, 20106:44 pm

Terry Pratchett had a good take on the difference between ‘art’ and pornography. “There’s a urn in the picture. it’s art.”

Toronto says: August 5, 20108:52 pm

Arg: So, true art has to be urned?

Timmay says: August 8, 201011:06 am

If I recall, it seemed like LOOK magazine almost always had at least one or two nudes in nearly every issue during the late 60’s